COMMERCIAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 5013, 14 March 1877, Page 2

COMMERCIAL.

I/jjiUllau Time* Office. Tuesday Evonisg. The Cualome’ Hetenuo collected yesterday amounted to £312 6a sd, The following were the itemsSpirit*. 290} Kalla. £175 10a 3d ; wine, 141} gal'e, £2B 8a; beer, 167 gills, £lO 8s Odj tobacco, 23011b*, £B2los 6d; drapery, 2 pclckos, if3df* ’ tira “ or ’ l >a ' in Kß. *o.. £2O 2b ; sundries, £lB Duhedin,—The Oimjo liaihj T<niff, ef March 12 reports thatNo change of any consequence has taken place during the week. Prices are, on the -whole, well maintained, only a low of euoh lines ne happen to be full, giving away slightly. MeLBOUBHE.—The Arj/ua ot March 6 report* In the import market business continues to wear an exceedingly quiet aspect, which oven the arrival of the appears as yet inoapablo of relieving, the utmost dulness having pervaded trade in all its branches throughout the day. Breadstuff* have Sot toa S by much activity. Enormous nnanfitins are still cemlng forward from the 2^nfci*dfaStatfcisad buyers generally may for bolesseager to operate, but sales tare, at the exremo Flour is moving off slowly ta t taS?SSs?s? eu I2a6d to £14155. Wh«t. •on the other hand, is wanted, and sales are effected

at 6* Bd. Wo hoar, amongst other solos, of £9O bags having changed hands ou this hasl* of quota* tiou. Focalng grains srn quitted atoodily, but only in trade parcels, no largo linos being taken np. Of seed qualities of oats sales are reported at 4s, trade parcels of flue feeding hare boon placed nt 3s Bd, and of hoary food at Us lOd. Maize Is in nicwl'.smto donmnd nt 8s Bd. Sugars are In fair request for trade purposes. Sales of browing qualities ore reported at £B7. The balance of a shipment is also reported to have changed hands ou private terms. Tens nro going off quietly in ordinary routine sales, but nothing mere. Good common congous have been disposed of nt Is Ud, and sales of Hue congous have boon made nt Is 9d to la 101. Ilexes have also boon quitted at *s Td to Is ltd. Gandies have had attention. A lino of 400 boxes Brandon’s lias been taken np for export at 9d per Hi in bond. A small parcel of D.U.0., the balance of a shipment, has boon di-qsnod of at lid, thus showing an easier feeling. .Sales of currants are mentioned nt SJd, and further business is ponding at the price. Halves sardines nro inquired for, but (hero are no sellers nt the rates offered ; 7s IOJd to 8a is still required, mid a slight concession might lend to business. riic arrival of the first cargo of new Patna rice, per the Cingalese, has created some stir In the mark V. Numerous inquiries have been experienced, and several parcels nro now under negotiation. The higher cost in Calcutta tills season will neoo-silato the market opening out heront a correspondingly high rate. The quality of the rioo is very good indeed. In liquids we have nothing special to refer to. Advices from Cognise ooiilinn those received mine time ago by telegraph. Messrs Uennopsy and Co., under date Cognlac, Jan 11, reported that their price for 1 STft vintage was 230 f per hootolitroin hhd, while for 1574 vintage 250 t was roq irod ; at same time, however, reserving a right to execute orders or not, according as their stock would permit, remarking iu addition that the market in Charonto instilled higher piioes still Adelaide.— Mie (tb.irnw- report* on tho breadstuffs market under date March I: —Tho market opened (inn, with wheat at (Is 5d per bushel for largo shipping parcels, and lis lid to o‘s 3d for small lots, and at about those prices sales wore effected. Ou Tuesday a sale of a parcel of 15,000 bushels was made atlia iid per bushel to a Tort wilier, and since that wo have no sales of parcels reported. For largo parcels tho price quoted to-day is (is 5d to 6s (>d, and market easier; for small lots 0s 3d to (is 4d is readily obtainable. Flour in our last was linn at £ls 5s per ton for town, and for country £l4 15s. On Sat urday a sale of 109 tons of town dour in sacks was made at £:5 :)s 6d per ton, and ou Tuesday 200 tons at £ls ss. Quotations stand to day—For town flonr, £ls 5s to £ls 10a, and for country £l4 10s_ to £l4 15s. Bran and pollard aro quoted ns being worth from Is 44 to Is 6d per bushel, and the market quiet. For New Zealand oats os 2d to 3a 4d per bushel is quoted as being tho value, ENQi-ISU. Messrs Milos, Bros., and Co, report under date, of Jan. 19, as follows: — Wool. Trndo in our manufacturing districts is fairly brisk, although from tho Continent recent advices are scarcely so satisfactory as they were, and at the sales of River-piste wool, which opened nt Havre, on Jan. 16. prices declined about Id per lb. This depression may no doubt be traced, to a groat extent, to the long unsettled state of affairs in tho East, but now matters have beau brought to a oloso, although adversely, we think that business will improve. Dealers hero appear anxious to purchase at rates ruling lost solos, but importers prefer taking their chance of a firm market at tho next series, which wi 1 probably open about Feb. 20 with, say 240,000 bales, when prices ire scarcely likely to decline, as stocks are expected to be lower than tooy have boon for some years past. Tho arrivals to date aro Bales. New South Wales and Queensland 13,265 Victoria 29,881 South Australia 8,471 Tasmania 36 i Now Zealand 319 Cape 26,435 Total 78.956 Wheat and Flour.—ln consequence of the protracted wet weather, the wheat market continues to harden, and, although the arrivals at ports of call have increased considerably, higher rates are neveitheless obtained, and buyers have also been anxious to operate forward at an advance of about 2s per quarter over current rates (or cargoes of Californian to arrive in three or four months' time, the harvest in tho Pacilio States not being considered satisfactory, owing to tfce deficient rainfall. Supplies of Australian wheat on passage are limited, but, in consequence of reduced stocks, any parcels arrived or near at hand command full rates, (or mixing with damp home-grown produce. The small quantity of New Zealand wheat on the market is held for firm prices. Tho total supplies afloat to the United Kingdom are estimated at 1,983,609 quarters, and the January stocks in the United Kingdom at the end of last year were 1,368,174 quarters, against 2,406,706 quarters on Dec. 31, 1875. Wo quote, ex granary—Australian wheat, 56a to 58s per 4961h5, and New Zealand, 53s to 565; Australian flour, 37s to 42s per 2Soibs, and New Zealand, 34s to 375. Tallow and Hides.—Tho tallow market still remains doll, and Russian T.C. has further declined 6d, the quotation to-day being 43a 6d. Australian tallow has been in limited demand, with scarcely any alteration in value, the price to-day of good to fine New Zealand mutton being 42s to 43s 3d, and beef tallow 49s 9d to 41s 3d per cwt. Hides continue quiet at about late rates, but the tendency is downward. We quote best heavy New Zealand, 5d to s}d; and light ox and cow hides, 4id to 4|d per lb. Preserved Meats.—There are more inquiries for tinned meats, but they aro chiefly confined to American beef, which is preferred on account of the great care bestowed on its preservation. Prices have been ruling very high, viz., 6sd for beef, and 6Jd for mutton 61b tins, attributable in a great measure to speculation on the chance of war j but as these purchases will now probably be placed on the market, and added to the stocks whiih are gradually accumulating, it is not probable that rates will be maintained. Bank rate 2 per cent.